AP EXPLAINS: How Colombia's conflict evolved over decades

The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos is likely to give a boost to the country's efforts to end a half-century of hostilities with leftist rebels. The Associated Press explains how the conflict began and developed over the decades.

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HOW IT STARTED

FILE - In this April 9, 1948 file photo, a streetcar lays overturned outside the Granada Hotel in Bogota, Colombia during an uprising after the death of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan. The 1948 assassination of the populist firebrand led to a political bloodletting known as "The Violence" and tens of thousands died. Peasant groups joined with communists to arm themselves and a 1964 military attack on their main encampment led to the creation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. On Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize "for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50-year-long civil war to an end." (AP Photo)

The 1948 assassination of populist firebrand Jorge Eliecer Gaitan led to a political bloodletting known as "The Violence." Tens of thousands died, and peasant groups joined with communists to arm themselves. A 1964 military attack on their main encampment led to the creation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

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WHAT THE REBELS WANTED

Though nominally Marxist, the FARC's ideology has never been well defined. It has sought to make the conservative oligarchy share power and prioritized land reform in a country where more than 5 million people have been forcibly displaced, mostly by far-right militias in the service of ranchers, businessmen and drug traffickers. The FARC lost popularity as it turned to kidnapping, extortion and taxes on cocaine production and illegal gold mining to fund its insurgency.

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HOW THE U.S. GOT INVOLVED

In 2000, the United States began sending billions of dollars to counter drug-trafficking and the insurgency under "Plan Colombia," which helped security forces weaken the FARC and kill several top commanders. The State Department classifies the FARC as a terrorist organization and its leaders face U.S. indictments on drug-trafficking charges.

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THE HUMAN TOLL

More than 220,000 lives have been lost, most of them civilians, and almost 8 million people have been driven from their homes in the conflict. In the past two decades, most of the killings were inflicted by the militias, which made peace with the government in 2003. The FARC abducted ranchers, politicians and soldiers and often held them for years in jungle prison camps. Its captives included former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors, all of whom were rescued in 2008.

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PEACE TALKS MAKE HUGE STRIDES, THEN STUMBLE

Mid-1980s peace talks collapsed after death squads killed at least 3,000 allies of the FARC's political wing. Another peace effort fell apart in 2002 after the rebels hijacked an airliner to kidnap a senator.

The latest peace talks began formally in 2012 and concluded last month when a deal was signed by Santos and FARC leader Timochenko. A few days later, however, it was narrowly rejected by Colombian voters in an Oct. 2 referendum, forcing both sides back to the drawing board. The accord included provisions on land reform, combatting drug trafficking, guerrillas' political participation and punishment for war crimes on both sides. It also clears the way for an estimated 7,000 FARC fighters will lay down their weapons to U.N. observers.

FILE- In this April 9, 1948, file photo, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan lies dying in the Colombian Capital of Bogoto after being shot. Others are unidentified. The assassination of the populist firebrand led to a political bloodletting known as "The Violence." Tens of thousands died, and peasant groups joined with communists to arm themselves. A 1964 military attack on their main encampment led to the creation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 26, 2016 file photo, Colombia¿s President Juan Manuel Santos, left, and the top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Rodrigo Londono, known by the alias Timochenko, shake hands after signing a peace agreement between Colombia¿s government and the FARC to end over 50 years of conflict in Cartagena, Colombia. Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize Friday, Oct. 7, for his efforts to end a civil war that killed more than 200,000 Colombians. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)